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NASDAQ-100 OPEN


March 24, 2003


Marion Bartoli


KEY BISCAYNE, FLORIDA

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I don't know if somebody asked you this, how much did this 6-0 have to do with Lindsay being hurt, and how much was it you playing really well today?

MARION BARTOLI: (Inaudible) I don't know what is (inaudible), but perhaps I play 60 percent. Yeah, 60 percent very good, and 40 percent for her injuries. But I play very, very well the first five games. First few games, I play really, really good.

Q. What did you do well?

MARION BARTOLI: I run quite good, and I return very good her serve. She serve some good first serve and I return very deep. I think it's -- after I run good, I make some winners down the line with my backhand.

Q. Were you aware she was having a problem?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I saw sometimes on her serve she took, yeah, I think it was her right legs. So you push with your right leg on the serve, so I think she was disturbing on her serve. Some time when she run on her backhand, she was disturbing. I mean, I stay focusing just on my game and just, yeah, stay focusing and don't see what happens over the net, you know.

Q. You play the winner of the Serena Williams match. Is that exciting for you?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, sure. To play against No. 1 in the world, so it's very exciting. My father speak a lot with her father, with Richard. They are some good friends, so it's quite okay.

Q. How is that, that they're good friends? How did they meet?

MARION BARTOLI: They meet at Paris in Gaz de France when she won against Mauresmo. Now, they speak always together. So it's okay. Yeah, it's very exciting to play the No. 1 in the world. Last year I was Juniors, I was only 300, my ranking in the WTA. So now I am Top 100 and I play against No. 1 in the world. It's quite good improving, you know.

Q. When you turned pro, there were a lot of people who thought you wouldn't be able to continue receiving serve so close up. Have you found you've been able to adjust your game to take serve where you want?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I adjust my game on the level, but I think I improve my return of serve than one year ago. And I still in the court, and I still -- I just, yeah, keep improving my return, I keep improving my eyes. That's why, yeah.

Q. Will you be able to stand that close against Serena Williams?

MARION BARTOLI: Serena, I don't know. I am going to see what happen. But I'm going to stay in the court, that's for sure. After, I don't know.

Q. Since you've had this strange run this week, the wildcard, the qualifier, the lucky loser, now Lindsay, do you think it's only right that this continues and you beat the No. 1 player in the world?

MARION BARTOLI: I don't think so (smiling). I think Serena is going to play - she's quite confident. She win everybody. So she has absolutely no reason to lose this year, and I think didn't lose from eight months, something. So she's quite confident. No, I just going to enjoy this match and see what happen.

Q. Do you go into that match, you know you're such an underdog, that you have nothing to lose?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, yeah, for sure, yeah. Nothing to lose, just to enjoy to play against the No. 1 in the world, and we'll see what it is to play against the No. 1 in the world. Because always some people say, "Serena Williams is unbelievable. She plays so well," and everything, but I'm going to see what is it really to play against No. 1 in the world, you know.

Q. Is this the easiest 60,000 Euros you've ever made?

MARION BARTOLI: No, I don't think so. Because, you know, you play -- you work a lot and you work very harder to reach this level. Everybody just see, you know, when you play a Grand Slam and you lose first round, you won like something like $10,000 or $20,000. They say, "Oh, it's too much for just one tennis match." But they don't see all the work before you do, from ten years ago, or the sacrifice you do for to be there, so I think no.

Q. This is your first NASDAQ?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I play twice the Orange Bowl. I won the Orange Bowl Under-16 and I reach the semi Under-18.

Q. What do you think of this tournament, the whole area here?

MARION BARTOLI: I like to be in Miami. I enjoy to be there every time. So, yeah, it's a good tournament. It's a Tier I, it's a big one. Yeah, it's good.

Q. You were talking about your father. What's your father's name?

MARION BARTOLI: It's Walter.

Q. What does he do for a living?

MARION BARTOLI: He's doctor.

Q. A medical doctor?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, yeah.

Q. Does he have a specialty? What kind of doctor?

MARION BARTOLI: No, just general doctor.

Q. He's here now?

MARION BARTOLI: He just, yeah...

Q. How about your mother?

MARION BARTOLI: My mother is still in France. She's always in France.

Q. What's her name?

MARION BARTOLI: Sophie.

Q. Sophie?

MARION BARTOLI: Yes. She never come with me. She stay always at home.

Q. Why doesn't she come with you?

MARION BARTOLI: Because she work. She doesn't like a lot to see my tennis match. She's very nervous when I play, so... I feel it on the court, and I prefer she stay at home.

Q. What does she do for work?

MARION BARTOLI: She was a nurse.

Q. Can you remember watching Lindsay when she was No. 1?

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah.

Q. Does that seem...

MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I saw her when I was -- it was in '92, so I was eight years old. She play the French Open. And after, I saw her a lot of times. I saw her when she won the Australian Open against Martina Hingis, she was 6-1 and 5-love up. She was playing unbelievable tennis. And after Martina came back at 5-all and finally Lindsay won 7-5. After I saw her when she won the Wimbledon. So, yeah, I saw her a lot of times, of course.

Q. Because of the history that you know of her game, was it a little difficult to get calmed down at first in this match, when you first came out for warm-ups? Were you a little bit...

MARION BARTOLI: Nervous, yeah. But I play against her in the US Open last year. And at this time, I was really nervous when I play against her first time on Lindsay Davenport on the Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was a little bit too much for me. I lost 6-3, 6-1. Yeah, on this round I was just little bit -- just not going to see what she's going to do, but just focusing on my game.

Q. I don't know if you'll play next on Stadium Court, but if you do...

MARION BARTOLI: I think so, yeah (smiling).

Q. The Stadium Court, idea of Stadium Court, is that exciting also?

MARION BARTOLI: I play on the stadium for the Orange Bowl, the final and the semifinal here. So, I know, yeah. But in the evening session with the Stadium Court, it was very good, yeah. It will be very great, yeah.

End of FastScripts….

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